Even If O’Dowd Departs, Rockies Will Still Have Issues

Peter Gammons had Rockies fans excited when he mentioned Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd may want to work for Braves interim general manager John Hart. That will come only if Hart accepts the full-time position out in Atlanta.

When Gammons writes rumors, it is known as a gospel. He is glued in with everyone in the baseball industry. That’s why Rockies fans have something to feel good about.

The narrative would be O’Dowd’s departure would bring hope. Not to mention raising interest in Rockies baseball again.

The problem with his departure is Rockies owner Monfort is going to do the hiring. That’s a problem. It’s clear he knows nothing about baseball. He does not know anyone that works in baseball. He admits he does not pay attention during games or if anyone in baseball talks to him. Is this a guy Rockies fans trust?

There’s a reason Monfort is hesitant to fire O’Dowd. He does not have any interest in searching hard to find the right guy to run the Rockies. He has no clue what general manager candidate would be the right guy. He is scared that any of the candidates would not work out. He rather go with someone he trusts, and that’s why he kept his general manager all these years.

Considering everything the beleaguered Rockies owner does is wrong, it’s hard to think he will get this one right.

Odds are he will retain Bill Geivett as the general manager and give him more responsibility in that role.
That’s why it’s hard to get excited about O’Dowd’s departure. The problem starts with the owner. If he does not know what he is doing, there’s no reason for everyone to get their hopes up.

Even if Monfort actually wants to hire an outsider from another team, there are candidates who may be averse of taking the Rockies general manager job. It would be hard for them to get pitchers to pitch at Coors Field. It would be hard for them to find the right guys such as Jorge De La Rosa that can pitch at that ballpark. Rockies would have to develop pitchers, and that’s been a problem since the franchise was born.

Baseball is all about pitching. It’s going to be hard for pitchers to have success if they don’t believe they can get it done at Coors Field. So many pitchers have let Coors Field spook them when they were wearing the Rockies uniform, which they expect to fail there.

The pitchers struggling at Coors has frustrated then-Rockies general manager Bob Gebhard and O’Dowd. It certainly has worn the current Rockies general manager down, and that’s why he is looking for a fresh start rather than holding on to a thankless job.

It speaks badly of the Rockies if O’Dowd takes a minor role with the Braves rather than stay on. It’s not like he was doing anything in recent years as a consultant.

There is also the possibility Monfort still wants to be the de facto general manager. He has been playing that role for years. He recently voided the deal that would have sent De La Rosa to Baltimore. That turn out to be a smart move, but then again, anyone could have done that. Problem is he may not get it right for other deals.

Monfort feels he can be the general manager since no one wants to do it. Plus, he wants to be involved when it comes to making moves. It’s interesting he talks to the media more than his general manager. He is often around Rockies manager Walt Weiss. Plus, it was he that played a role in hiring the second-year Rockies manager.

Looking at all these possibilities, there should be caution to why O’Dowd’s departure may not mean much in the end.

The best thing Monfort could do is have someone from Major League Baseball help him with hiring a general manager. Similar to what Bud Selig did in having Mets owner Fred Wilpon hire Sandy Alderson to run the Mets.

Don’t expect that to happen, though. Monfort is too proud to do that. He rather be the guy do the hiring on his own. After all, he knows more baseball in his delusional mind.

Basically, whoever is the next Rockies general manager is the new boss, but same as the old boss.

Leslie Monteiro

Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.